It is a momentous event in the course of Islamic history. It constitutes a turning point in the history of Humanity. It is the Hijra or the migration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Mecca to Madina.

This journey is such a significant one that it was chosen to mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

The question now is, why did the Prophet (PBUH) leave Mecca for Madina?

Commonly, the answer to this question is that it was to escape persecution by the polytheists in Mecca and to save the Prophet’s life from an evil assassination plan. However, in fact, there is another reason. Remaining in Mecca proved being unproductive in view of all those circumstances of oppression and persecution. Thus, the Prophet (PBUH) found out that it was not conducive for the message of Islam and it was a vital necessity to find away out in pursuit of a new avenue for the message of Islam to flourish. For this reason, in essence, the Hijra was not in quest of luxurious life or even a better life. Rather, it was meant to save the message as well as to fulfill the Prophet’s mission. This is evidenced by the fact that immediately after reaching Madina, the Prophet (PBUH) did not just relax. On the contrary, the Prophet (PBUH) engaged in and conducted an all-embracing process to establish a strong and faithful community. For instance, the Prophet (PBUH) built a mosque, and established a market. Furthermore, he created a bond of unity and fraternity among the Muhajreen (The Immigrants) and the Ansaar (the Supporters).

Here, we need to pause to reflect and think beyond what we normally think about. What is it that we need to emigrate from in order to lead a successful life in line with our aim of worshiping Allah. It does not necessarily have to be a migration from one place to another. But, it could be migration from sins to repentance to Allah the Almighty. It could be migration from evil doings to good deeds and productivity.